HRW, Amnesty call on Morocco to reject confessions extracted under torture

Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International yesterday called on Morocco to reject confessions extracted under torture or ill-treatment during police interrogations involving Sahrawi political prisoners.

The Rabat court of appeal today handed down sentences ranging between two and 25 years to 25 Sahrawis accused of killing 11 members of the Moroccan security forces in 2010.

“Morocco took the positive step of ordering new proceedings before a civilian court, but it still needs to ensure no one is convicted on the basis of evidence obtained by torture,” said Sarah Leah Whitson, Middle East and North Africa director at Human Rights Watch.

Read: 25 Sahrawis jailed for killing Moroccan security forces

In the previous trial, a Rabat military court convicted all of the defendants almost exclusively on the basis of their confessions allegedly obtained under torture. Most of the defendants received long sentences and have already served over six years in prison.

In 2015, a new law banned the trial of civilians in military courts, making Morocco consistent with international standards. The following year, the Court of Cassation ordered a new trial.

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During the trial, which began on 26 December 2016, the court agreed to have doctors accredited to the court perform medical examinations on 21 defendants to assess their torture allegations.

“Morocco’s judiciary should not squander the opportunity for justice presented by these civilian proceedings,” said Heba Morayef, North Africa research director at Amnesty International.